As a freshman for Purdue in 2018, all Rondale Moore did was post 2,215 all-purpose yards with 114 catches, 1,258 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns from scrimmage. He won the Paul Hornung Award as the nation’s most versatile player.
Moore was a dark horse Heisman Trophy candidate entering the 2019 campaign. But did not come to fruition, as his season ended after four games due to a hamstring injury. But he did produce when he was on the field (29 catches for 387 yards).
Moore originally opted out of the 2020 season due to COVID-19 concerns, as many players did. But when the Big Ten indeed had a season, he opted back in. But then he didn’t play right away, as his hamstring issue appeared to linger. In his season debut against Minnesota, he hit the ground running with 15 catches for 116 yards and a rushing touchdown.
Over just three games last season, Moore had 35 catches (albeit for just 270 yards). There’s no denying his talent, but the majority of his evaluation is rooted in his uninterrupted freshman season. Still, he’s getting real buzz as a possible first-round pick.
Moore (5-foot-9, 180 pounds) has drawn some comparisons to Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill. But Pro Football Focus has a different comp, to an all-time great receiver who also happened to be small.
After being drafted in the third round of the 2001 NFL Draft out of Utah, Steve Smith played 16 seasons-13 with the Carolina Panthers and three with the Baltimore Ravens. Consistently defying the odds as a small receiver (5-foot-9, 195 pounds), he finished with over 1,000 career catches (1,031), 14,731 yards and 81 touchdowns. The first two numbers are 12th and eighth all-time respectively right now.
Could Rondale Moore be the next Steve Smith?
Part of what gave Smith a unique edge, and allowed him to last as long as he did, was, for a lack of a better term, an “f-you” mentality. It’s impossible to know if Moore has that same kind of intangible edge to him. But it would not be a requirement for him to have a similarly long and successful NFL career.
